RIP Alexei Cherepanov

I don't even really know what to say. A young man, a year younger than myself, died of a heart attack, playing the sport he loved.

I didn't know much about him, as a player or as a person, I just remember watching him get drafted in 2007, watching as team after team passed him by, until finally, the team with his idol, Jaromir Jagr, drafted him 17th. The irony that it was Jagr with him is not lost on me.

I've cried, I threw up, and I think it's finally out of my system. Is this going to be the end of the tragedies for hockey for now? I guess we can only pray that it is. Three promising young lives taken in the short course of a year are three too many.

RIP Alexei.

...Two months?

Really? Has it been two months? Um. That crashing sound you just heard? That's the sound of epic failure on Skye's part.

Last I posted, Nikky had been traded, and since then, it's just been a really, really, really long off season. I watched the Celtics win the NBA championship, the amazing spectacle that was the 2008 Summer Olympiad, and the horrific debacle that was OSU vs USC.

And now, training camp is four days away, and I've already bought tickets to three of the games I'm going to for sure this season down here in the big ATL.

10.1.08 - Detroit vs. Atlanta (Preseason)
10.10.08 - Washington vs. Atlanta (Season Opener)
11.22.08 - Columbus (!!!) vs. Atlanta (I will be there rocking the Nikolai jersey like you wouldn't believe.)

I'm also planning to go to the Detroit vs. Atlanta regular season game, but seeing as that one isn't until March, I still have a while.

So my hopes for the season are:
- Kris Russell and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen cracking the line-up, even though we have approximately 238947329847 defensemen.
- Jared Boll smashing and bashing his way to 1st in PIM in the league.
- Rick Nash stepping up and fulfilling his role of captain in the way I think we all know he can.
- Winning the season series over Detroit (HAHA yes I know. I can dream.).
- Finishing the season with a franchise high in points.
- Finishing 7th in the West...And ultimately...
- Reaching the playoffs for the first time, where I don't care if they get swept, for the love of God, just make it.

And as it's now a quarter to six in the morning... I'm out!

Well, free agency was fun and happy and hilarious, until I got a text today about Nikolai.

The Rangers. The Rangers. All I have to say is they better take damn good care of him.

I know, I know.

It's been a while. And I should blog about the Jackets picks (all I know about at this exact moment is Filatov, I haven't been able to check others, and I'm already eeeeeee! over Filatov still.)

But I just wanted to take a second and post about this.

Lightning give David Carle a gift.

I think, in my now three years of hockey watching, this is the classiest thing I've seen a team do. David Carle won't make it to the NHL, and he knows it, and he even took his name out of the Draft. But they still drafted him; he's associated with the NHL. He won't get to play, but it's still one of the sweetest and classiest things I've seen in a long time, in any sport.

Way to go Bolts.

Boo?

I'm alive, I'm rooting for the Wings (one more!!!), and I have to be up in four hours for work. Joy.

In actual Jackets news, we acquired Jonathan Sigalet from Boston. Nash is going to be on the cover of 2K9. Vyborny's not coming back.

And I'm terrified for the offseason.

Avalanche advance! (I feel dirty.)

I love José Nicholas Theodore. (There are four links in that, for the record.)

They made me cry tonight. He made me cry tonight, with how happy he looks, and how proud of him they all are. Your contract may be up this year José, but damn if you aren't giving them a reason to want you back. And if the Avalanche don't want you, someone is sure to grab you. You're looking better and better each game, and things can only go up from here. You've hit the lowest before, José, now let's hit the highest. Don't give them a reason to doubt ever again.

And the best part about it? You'll still be as humble and sweet as ever, and you'll pass the praise off to your teammates...But we'll both know that you're back. And the media can shove it for all they ever said about you, and are now singing your praises. They didn't believe in you then, they have no right to now. But those of us who love you and always believed in you, even when you were letting in five and six goals a game... We know. We know that you're back. And we'll laugh at the media together.

Keep driving. Keep making me cry. When it's you, a few tears are a price I am more than willing to pay to see you smile like you did tonight.

I fail as a blogger, plain and simple. Playoff brackets and minor explanations.

BUT that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep trying!

Here, have a bracket.

In explanation of my Western (because yes I know it's visually screwed up) Detroit is not playing San Jose in my bracket until the THIRD round. For the second round, in the West, at least, GO BY SEEDING NUMBERS. High seed plays low seed. So I have Detroit matched up against Colorado, and San Jose against Dallas. ...If that confused anyone, let me know, and I'll try to explain further. XD

I was going to do writeups for each matchup...But then I got lazy and bored. So...Have at the bracket. Ninety percent of it is personal bias. I may have Detroit going all the way, but that's becuase i have money riding on them. I'm really actually pulling for the Caps. Who would have thought little old Western Conference me would pull for an Eastern Conference team?

CHI @ CBJ: 4-0 SHUTOUT

Dear Blue Jackets,

I love you. If only we could combine Steady Freddy's two shutouts with Pazzy's nine. That's still an amazing stat, and holy God, I love you guys. ♥

So Much Love,
Skye

I go to see Jose play tonight...

And I'm going to try my hardest to not make the people around me hate me again.

...Ah, who'm I kidding?

At least I'm not going to wear all Thrashers stuff this time.

So the only hockey happening in my head is:

OH MY GOD. I see Jose Theodore in fourthree days! If he plays like he did the other night (SHUTOUT ANYONE? Over the DUCKS?), I will be in tears before the night is over.

Dearest Jose Nicholas Theodore,

Please, please for the love of God, play like you played against the Ducks.

Much Love Always,
Skye

And I'm not even going to talk about Huet.

I got through today without crying, except after the intial news.

And now that I'm home, and thinking about it, fuck, there are the tears again.

It's not the same team anymore.

I don't care about Foote, I really don't, other than to wonder who'll get the C.

But fuck. Sergei. No. Just no. I knew he was going to be gone by the end of this season. But I didn't expect this.

It's not the team I fell in love with anymore. And it's so much worse than it was with the Oilers last season. At least for me.

I just want my Sergei back. I want Shelley back. I just want my team back.

So. It can't be any worse than last year. I hope.

Since I last posted, work has eaten my face, proceeded to uneat my face, and I continue to fail at catching hockey games. Sigh.

What I do know is that Pazzy got his ninth shutout of the season against Montreal, and I couldn't be more proud of him. Much love to you, Pazzy.

And as I post this, I am dreading the coming of my second Trade Deadline Day of my hockey fan-ship, and frankly, I don't know if this year could possibly be worse than last year. The Jackets might be hell bound and determined to make it worse, however, if these rumours of Brule, Fritsche, and Tollefsen being traded to Tampa have any merit. If this happens, the Jackets and I will not be on speaking terms for a little while. And I'll have to have a vague liking for Tampa.

Although, it is a nice change to have a secure feeling in that Nikolai Zherdev is staying with the team, whereas last season, I was panicking come TDD. Now I'm panicking over Sergei, Vybes, and the babies. I'm not sure this is a great trade off, actually. No pun intended.

Why do I have to work on TDD? Ugh.

Here's to hoping I don't get a text at work that will make me sob.

Trades!

So. Jody Shelley has been sent to San Jose for a 6th rounder in 2009 (did they send us the bag of pucks too?).

And then today, Glencross to the Oilers, for Dick Tarnstrom. I personally don't understand this one very much. Unless this is just because of Howson knowing something about Tarnstrom that we don't, given that he was with the Oilers...I still don't understand why Glencross.

That said, at least it wasn't to the Ducks or Nashville.

CBJ @ CHI: 1-0 SHUTOUT WIN

Why isn't Pascal Leclaire in the All-Star Game again?

Eighth shutout, baby.

Boll with his fifth goal, in front of his hometown crowd. Way to go, Bollsy.

And while I'm at it, because I suck, a big giant YAY to Kris Russell for his two goals the other night, numbers one and two. Here's hoping for many many more.

In conclusion, the Jackets rock, and here's to All-Star Weekend! :D

So basically all you need to know...

About my first foray into Atlanta hockey is:

-Hemmer saw my sign and shook his head at me.
-Souray saw it as well and yelled 'HEY YEAH HEMMERTIME!' and I cracked up.
-Philips Arena was out to kill me because I'm an Oilers fan, not a Thrashers fan.
-I was in literally the TOP row of the arena, and my section hated me for loving that the Oilers won.
-Pictures are here.
-Final point? I'm good luck for the Oilers, apparently.

Final Score?
4-2 Oilers WIIIN.

So basically.

The Jackets rock, Nikolai Zherdev is still sexy, and life still hates me when it comes to hockey.

That said, I'm going to my first Thrashers game on Sunday, against the Oilers (I'm sensing a trend. I always go see the Oilers.) and I have made retarded signs for Hemmer for during warmups (because my brother is cheap and did not inform me that I was getting NOSEBLEED 400 seats for Christmas). One reads "STOP! HEMMERTIME!!" with the footnote of "My sister sign is in Kalamazoo, MI!" And the other is imploring him to grow his damn curls back.

And don't even TALK to me about the damn All-Star Game.

Also? It snowed in Atlanta. Like, snow accumulated (true it was gone by the morning, but it was there, I swear.). This is comparable to hell freezing over. I shit you not. People were going 35 miles per hour on the highway. I love the south sometimes.